CAIRNS TO BID AGAIN SIDDLE SAYS BANNED STARS SHOULDN’T RETURN YET
Brooks faces up to horror footy injury Far North won’t give up on bringing Suns back to Cazalys
CAIRNS plumber David Brooks doesn’t need a grand final medallion to remember his FNQ Rugby heroics — the two metal plates under his left eye and scars across the top of his head serve as a reminder every day.
The Barron Trinity Bulls premiership star suffered a concussion and shattered his orbital socket in the Bulls’ win over JCU Mariners at Barlow Park in September. Since then the ‘hard as nails’ hooker has undergone two operations and been forced to take a month off work.
“It’s still numb but I’m starting to get some feeling back,” Brooks said of the left side of his face.
For the second surgery, specialists performed a cranial bone-flap that lasted 4½ hours, inserting the second plate near his temple.
“Basically, they cut from ear-toear and peeled my face back,” he said.
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AFL Cairns is going full steam ahead towards 2020 with plans already in motion to bring AFL premiership matches back to the Far North.
As the Cairns Post first revealed on Monday afternoon, Cairns’ Cazalys Stadium missed out on an AFL game for 2019 when the official fixtures were released yesterday morning.
Elite AFL games have come to Cairns every year since 2011, with the Western Bulldogs and Richmond both previously moving home games north. Although disappointed to not receive a game for next season, AFL Cairns boss Gary Young reflected how fortunate the region has been over the last decade to see so much elite content in our own backyard. CONTINUED PAGE 46